Piano-player.



1. MAXFIELD. PIANO PLAYER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.24, ISI?.

1920),20Q- Panted OCI. 3,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

J. MAXFIELD.

PIANO PLAYER.

APPLICATIQN FILED ^uG.24. 1912.

1 ,200,209. Patented Oct. 3, 1916.

i AW/c//j WM JOHN MAXFIELD, OIE' LONDON, ENGLAND.

PIANO-PLAYER.

Application filed August 24, 1912.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, JOHN MAXFIELD, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at 326 Liverpool road, London, N., England, have invented new and useful Improvements in Piano-Players, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates more particularly to the pneumatic actions of piano players. Its main purpose is to provide a construction of striking pneumatic with primary and secondary valves which shall be compact, light, and not liable to deterioration in varying climatic conditions, and which shall also obviate the need for a multiplicity of connecting tubes.

IA further purpose is to take advantage of such compact form of pneumatic by securing a correspondingly compact form of mounting for such pneumatics.

Yet another object of the invention is while arranging the pneumatics in small compass to facilitate access to individual pneumatics for repair or replacement.

With these ends in view I form one plate of the striking pneumatic to accommodate the valve pneumatics, and `to receive a box cover containing mountings for primary and secondary valves. As the comparatively intricate form of such plate and cover, but especially of the cover, cannot readily be constructed of wood,-of which pneumatic plates have commonly been made heretofore-unless the wood is very thick and the structure thereof ciunbrous, and as moreover wooden plates are liable to split and crack when subjected to alternations of high and low temperature and moist and dry atmos-r phere, I produce the said cover, and if desired the plate also, by casting or molding it from metal such as type metal or from vulcanite or other nonporous material which has the requisite mechanical strength even when in thin sheets. By such means I secure an exceedingly compact structure of pneumatic and valves, andsuch pneumatics may be assembled in close proximity, advantageously in two or three tiers, so that the whole of the pneumatic actions required for the operation of a piano may be accommodated within the ordinary casing of the piano without enlargement or extension of such casing in any way. It is themore necessary, however, `with such-close packing of the pneumaties that access .Shall be Qt Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 3, 1916.

serial No. 716,886.

tainable to any individual pneumatic. To secure such compactness and convenience the pneumatics are'supported in part upon the pipes which connect them to the suction chest, said pipes being united by metal strips into a complete frame which may advantageously be pivoted in the piano.

A preferred construction according to the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a cross section of a pneumatic with its controlling valves; Fig. 2 is a'plan of the upper plate of the pneumatic with the parts above it removed; Fig. 3 is a bottoni view of the box mountedupon the upper plate of the pneumatic. Fig. L is an elevation of a preferred construction of primary valve; Fig. 5 is a plan showing the method of mounting a pair of pneumatic actions; Fig. 6 is an elevation of the mounting of the same.

In the construction illustrated each striking pneumatic is composed of two metal plates 1, 2, preferably flanged, joined by iieXihle rubber cloth or the like. In the upper surface of plate 1 which is illustrated separately in Fig. 2, there are provided two large recesses 3 and 4, the former being elongated so as to obtain the necessary area in a comparativelyv small width of pneumatic.

Openings 5 and 6 in the surface of plate 1 communicate laterally beneath the surface with the .recess d and an opening 7 communi- Cates in similar fashion with the recess 3. A rectangular opening 8 simply forms a passage through the plate 1 into the striking pneumatic.

Upon the surface of plate l is secured a strip of leatherwhich covers the recesses 3 and 4 but is perforated over the openings 5, 6, 7 and 8. Over opening 6 which is intended to form a bleed, there may be a slip of card or the like 61 having only a pin-hole through it. Upon the leather over each opening 3 and 4 is secured Ya slip of card 9 and in the center of that a leather disk 10. This is to .form a seating for the stem of a valve.

On the leather covered portion of the plate 1 is secured a box 11 having screw holes 12 formed in the thickness of its edges. In the .upper surface of this boX are three .openings 13, 14 and 15. The last named is similar to the screw holes in that it is a chan- ,nel through the thickness of the metal from 17, respectively.

the upper surface of the cover to the level of the bottom edge as may be further seen in Fig. 1. Each of the openings 13 and 14 has a flange or partition wall extending inward into which there opens a lateral passage 16, These passages each turn at right angles and open on a level with the edge of the box 11. The mouth of passage 16 registers withthe opening 8 in plate 1, and the mouth of passage 17 with the opening 7 in plate 1. The lianges surrounding the openings 13 and 14 and the walls of the lateral passages may if desired be formed as separate castings riveted and cemented to the boX 11.

Outside the cover of the box 11 and also at the end of the ii ange of opening 13 there .is secured about the opening a metal frame 13 forming a valve seating and between these valve seatings moves the secondary valve 19. lts stem is guided in central openings in the two seatings 13 and its leather covered central metal disk can seat itself on the edge of either. 1n the opening 14 is secured the primary valve which is formed of a metal stud 2O having at its lower part ribs 21 and at each end a cap 22 faced with leather.

In the end wall of the boX 11 is secured a tubulure 23. rlhis fits metal to metal into a corresponding tubulure 24 formed on the main air pipe so to secure a firm joint, and the junction of the tubulures is covered by a short length of canvas covered rubber tubing 25a. A tube 26 leads from the passage 15 to the tracker board, and the passage 5 beneath the bottom of the passage 15 is closed by a cemented disk 27 so that pipe 26 does not communicate with the striking pneumatic directly. A similar disk 28 closes the end of passage 7 beneath the passage 17 for the same reason.

The apparatus as thus described acts in well known manner but a rsume of its method of action may show more clearly the form of the parts above described. Normally the striking pneumatic stands open to the atmosphere through passage 16, the valve 19 resting on its lower seating. The interior of the box 11 is at low pressure since it is joined through the tubulure 23 and pipe 25 to the suction chest. So long, however, as the pipes 26 are closed at the tracker board this suction is not able to produce any eiiect. l/Vhen, however, an opening in the music sheet permits the air to enter passage- 26 the disks 9, 10, of the primary valve pneumatic are lifted and raise the primary valve 20 so as to open passage 17 to the air. By this means the air gains admittance beneath the disks 9, 10 of the secondary valve pneumatic and these raise valve 19 against its upper seating. By this means passage 16 is brought into communication with the general interior of boX 11 and so with the suction chest. Air is therefore exhausted from the striking pneumatic which collapses and plays a note.

As above indicated the pneumatics are inl part sup-ported by the pipes through which air is conveyed from them. At their further ends they rest upon a frame member 29 to which each may be secured by a screw. As, however, this arrange-ment would permit the pneumatic to rotate upon its mid line it is better to connect two pneumatics together by a metal slip 30 turned over the member 29 and screwed thereto. r1`he pairs are united at their further ends by similar slips 31. If desired a larger number than two might thus be connected.

The pneumatics are conveniently arranged in two or three tiers, their frame being completed Vby vertical supply pipes 32 by which the mains 25 are joined to the suction chest, and by end plates 33 in which both the pipes and frame members 29 are fastened. Preferably the pipes 32 are extended upward, being closed by a plug close above the uppermost pipe 25, and at their tops are pivoted at 34 to the frame of the piano. Beneath the pipes 25 the pipe 32 terminates in a conical tubulure 35 which normally fits into a corresponding socket 36 on the end of the pipe joined to the suction chest. This arrangement enables the whole frame of pneumatics to be turned upward about the pivots 34 to allow access to the action 37 of the piano, which is indicated diagrammatically, and to the strings for tuning.

Often in piano players the pneumatics engage the movement at the point 38, with the result that the motion given to the movement is a little di erent from that caused by actual striking of the key 39, the pressure of which is transmitted to point 40. The present construction of pneumatics enables them to be set together much more closely so that it is quite convenient to adopt the better method of causing the pneumatics to operate directly upon the abstract 41 and thus to obtain precisely the action of striking a key.

Although as above described it is preferred to make the parts of the pneumatic of metal they may be made of any other nonporous material such as vulcanite. It is,

however, possible to employ for the plate 1 a slip of hard wood, which has the advantage of cheapness and lightness.

What I claim is:

1. A self-contained pneumatic action unit, comprising a striking pneumatic, a valve chest formed by the upper plate or the pneumatic and a single piece boX of impervious material attached thereto, and primary and secondary valves and valve pneumatics and connecting conduits within said chest.

2. In a piano player the combination with separate self-contained pneumatic action units each comprising a striking pneumatic,

a valve chest formed by the upper plate of said pneumatic and a single piece box of impervious material attached thereto and primary and secondary valves and valve pneumatics and connecting conduits Within said chest, of a suction chest, means for making sliding air-tight connections between said suction chest and each valve chest, a frame member` and means detachably securing each action unit to said frame member.

3. In a combined piano and piano player the combination with individual self-contained pneumatic action units each comprising a striking pneumatic, a valve chest formed by the upper plate of said pneumatic and a single piece box of impervious material attached thereto and primary and secondary valves and valve pneumatics and connecting conduits within said chest, of a suction main extending along the ends of said valve chest adjacent to piano abstracts, a detachable pneumatic action between said main and each chest, and a frame' member extending along the opposite ends of said valve chests and supporting each of them.

4. In a piano player the combination with separate self-contained pneumatic action units each comprising a striking pneumatic, a valve chest formed by the upper plate of said pneumatic and a single piece box of impervious material attached thereto, and primary and secondary valves and valve pneumatics and connecting conduits Within said chest, of metallic tubulures on said valve chests at one end thereof. a suction chest, metallic tubulures attached thereto, said tubulures and suction Chest and valve chests fitting metal to metal one within the other, a frame member at the opposite end of said valve chests and means attaching said valve chests to said frame member so as to support them and prevent rotation.

5. In a piano player the combination with separate self-contained action units each comprising a striking pneumatic, a valve chest formed by the upper plate of said pneumatic and a single piece box of impervious material attached thereto, and primary and secondary valves and valvepneumatics and connecting conduits Within said chest, of pivotally suspended suction pipes making a sliding air-tight joint at their lower ends, horizontal tubes joining said vertical pipes and communicating therewith, sliding pneumatic actions between said tubes and respective action units at one end thereof, frame members attached to said vertical pipes and surrounding said action units and means connecting said units to said frame members at the opposite end to said tubes.

6. In a pneumatic action unit for piano players the combination With a striking pneumatic having recesses for primary and secondary valve pneumatics formed in its upper plate and connecting with orifices on the upper surface of said plate, and a passage through said plate communicating with the interior of the pneumatic, a diaphragm covering said recesses, a metal box fitting upon said upper plate and making joint therewith at its edges, conduits formed in said box ending at and making joint with the perforation and orifices in said plate, and valves mounted in said box, coperating with respective diaphragms and controlling access from the interior and exterior of said box to the channels which communicate with the interior of the striking pneumatic and with the second valve recess respectively.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

A. E. ODELL, A. S. WITHERDEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

